MCPS asks voters to approve 2 general fund, 2 building reserve levies

Missoula County Public Schools will pitch four levies to registered voters in the spring school election this May.

The district’s board of trustees approved levies for the general fund and building reserve fund for both the elementary and high school districts. Though MCPS is a unified school district its K-8 elementary boundary serves a smaller geographic area than the high school, which stretches to serve students in outlying districts including Lolo, Hellgate, Target Range, Bonner and others.

The board unanimously approved putting forward an elementary general fund levy for $261,504 and $128,054 for the high school general fund levy. If approved by voters, both levies would allow the district to adopt the highest budgets under the school funding formula.

“We’re still relying upon one-time-only funds to balance (the budgets) so it’s not that there’s not a use for these funds,” said Pat McHugh, the district’s executive director of business and operations. “We’re trying to build up these budgets so we can meet staff and salary obligations and the other increases that are reflected, including pulling away from ESSER.”

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